Every family has one of those recipes that is frequently requested by friends to be served at special occasions or parties. Usually their secret recipe is fiercely protected and only passed on from generation to generation. I was fortunate enough while cottaging with his family to play sous chef to my boyfriends father as he created his signature dish, Greek-style potatoes. Taught to him by a Greek neighbour this is one of those recipes that requires a handful of this or a shake of that, one that has no specific quantities to the ingredients yet can feed close to 20 people. As I show you step by step how these potatoes are made I’ll try my best to give you an idea of how much of each ingredient we used but the real guideline is lots of tasting and plenty of practical experience.  The following guidelines made 3 baking pans full of potatoes.

You need:

Like any great recipe that feeds a whole bunch of people there is plenty of prep work involved.  My first official job as sous chef was the peeling of the potatoes.  A whole bag and a half of them to be exact.  These were sliced into large wedges.  This is so they don’t get mushy during their long cooking time.

While I worked on the potatoes, my head chef peeled and chopped about 5 heads of garlic.  Sounds like a lot but really it’s not that strong.

He also sliced a whole pile of onions. Sniff!

Lucky for me the peppers had been sliced ahead of time and frozen.  These we had to thaw on the BBQ before using. I can’t say exactly how many of each but I do know that the red peppers and the cubanelles were about the same and the banana peppers were about half of that.  Probably the best way to tell proportions for this recipe is this; if you took a set of nesting mixing bowls the potatoes would fill the largest, the onions the middle and the 3 different peppers would fill the smallest. Hope that helped.

Now that the prep is done it’s on to the cooking.  You are going to need a big pot.  Pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot about 1/2 inch deep.

Add the garlic.  You should have the heat set at about medium high.

Pour in your potatoes.

 Add a palm full of black pepper.

And another of salt.

Stir really well to coat everything in the oil, garlic and spices.

Let it cook about 20 minutes before adding the onion.

Again give it a good stir and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

Here the measurement gets a little tricky.  You want to add tomato paste however too much will make it more Italian tasting than Greek.   Go by colour here.  Start with half the can, mix it together then repeat until you get something resembling the final picture in this little series.

About 20 minutes later you will add the peppers. Because we had to thaw them we had a fair bit of juice that we added along to the pot.  If you were using fresh peppers you may need to add a cup or two of water to help with the cooking.

You want to leave the pot to simmer for a while.  The guideline is basically this.  When the juices cover the whole thing and the potatoes are tender it’s done cooking in the pot.

At some point you can add the hot sauce.  Again it’s all measurement by eye.  If you like spicy go a little heavy handed.  Prefer mild? Go a little lighter or leave it out all together.

While the potatoes are cooking you want to start slicing the kielbasa.  Good advice is to always buy more than you think you need.  Nimble fingers are forever snatching at samples.

Overlap the slices along the edge of your baking pan.

Make sure you taste the broth in the potatoes as well to make sure it’s seasoned how you like it.  Here is what I mean by knowing the potatoes are done. They are covered in juices and fork tender.

Carefully pour the potatoes into the middle of the baking pan, spreading them out to the sides to hold up the kielbasa. 

Top with extra pieces of kielbasa and sprinkle with paprika.

Finally you are going to place the pans in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes-40 minutes or until they are golden on top.

These potatoes are great as a full meal with a side salad.  You can substitute any meat for the kielbasa or leave it out totally and serve it as a side dish.  Which ever way you do remember that practice will make it perfect for you.

Today is National Ice Cream Day and National Junk Food Day.

A popular junk food is definitely french fries. Here’s a healthier way to enjoy them.  You can use regular potatoes as well in this recipe.

You need:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place parchment paper onto a couple of cookie sheets.

Start off by peeling all the potatoes.

Cut them into thin strips.  The thinner they are cut the quicker they will cook.  They’ll also crisp up great.

In a medium size bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy.

Add the vegetable oil and spices to the egg white and whisk together well.  If you don’t plan to toss in the potatoes right away just remember to give it a quick whisk before you do.

Toss the strips of potatoes with the egg mixture.  Another quick trip is to put the potatoes in a freezer bag, pour in the egg whites and shake to coat.

Spread the potatoes out evenly onto the prepared pans.  Shake off any excess coating as you spread them out.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.  The fries will be crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside.

Use these fries as a great replacement for regular white potatoes the next time you grill up a tasty burger.  Add a side Caesar and you have a great and healthy meal.

Sweet Potato Fries

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Whisk in oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Spread on the cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until tender and slightly crisp.

Today is National Wine Day.

Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce

1. In a skillet over medium heat cook the onion and garlic until tender about 5 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms, ½ cup water, wine and bouillon cube.
3. Add the basil, salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and cold water.

Today is National Wine Day.

I’ve followed this with a recipe in white wine.

Mushrooms in Red Wine

1. In a pan over medium high heat, saute the mushrooms in the butter and oil for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the red wine and beef broth and simmer to reduce about 7 minutes.
3. In a bowl combine the flour and cold water and whisk until smooth.
4. Stir mixture into the mushrooms and cook until thickened.

Today is National Homebrew Day, National Orange Juice Day and National Candied Orange Peel Day.

Enjoy this spread on muffins, bread, bagels and pancakes.

Orange Butter

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and beat until smooth. Refrigerate.

Today is National Calms on the Half Shell Day, National Oranges and Lemons Day and National Tater Day.

Parisienne Potatoes

1. Place the potatoes in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Add the ½ cup of oil and coat well.
3. Add the spices and shake well. Let marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Coat a glass baking dish with the 2 tbsp olive oil..
6. Spread marinated potatoes on bottom of dish in a single row.
7. Bake 1 hour turning potatoes half way through cooking.

Today is National Almond Day.

This is my favorite to serve green beans.

Green Beans Almandine

You need:

Trim beans by snapping off the hard ends and rinse under cold water.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the beans.  Cook until tender crisp,  6-8 minutes. In a small frypan melt the butter in the oil.

Add the almonds and garlic.

Cook until almonds brown 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the beans.

Toss the beans with the almonds and serve immediately.

They go great with breaded chicken and Spicy French Fries

Green Beans Almandine Full Recipe

Serves 6

1. Trim beans and rinse.
2. Boil beans in large pot until tender crisp about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Melt the butter and olive oil in saucepan and add garlic and almonds. Stirring constantly cook until almonds begin to brown.
4. Add beans tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Today is National Apricot Day.

Here’s a really tasty way to have rice as a side dish.

Golden Basmati Rice with Apricots

Today is National Bean Day.

Slow cooker Baked Beans

1. Prepare the navy bean by soaking them overnight in a large bowl. Drain.
2. In a large stockpot cover beans with 5 cups fresh water and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 1 hour. Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the liquid.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until browned.
4. In a bowl combine tomato juice, onion, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, black pepper and chili powder.
5. In a crockpot mix together beans, bacon and sauce.
6. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until are tender and flavorful. Add a little of the reserved liquid if the beans begin to dry out.

Today is National Noodle Ring Day.

It is odd that this is a day.

German Noodle Ring With Cheese Sauce